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Introduction: Increasing incidence of vision impairment in the United States reinforces the urgent need for research and public health awareness. Eye diseases are of common concern in Asian and other ethnic groups globally. Glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, myopia, and retinitis are types of eye diseases and common causes of vision impairment in Asians. This study addressed the current gap in knowledge regarding vision impairment prevalence among Asian-Americans by geographical location and level of education. Socio-ecological theory was used as the theoretical foundation. Method: A cross-sectional secondary dataset from U.S. Census Bureau included 3,916,947 participants' survey responses from 2011 through 2015 which was analyzed using a logistic regression model. The model addressed the relationships between variables such as education level, geographic location, and vision impairment. Results: The results in this study exhibited that educational level and geographic location were statistically significant, p < 0.001 and p = 0.004 respectively and they were determined as predictors of vision impairment among Asian-Americans. The statistical significance p < 0.001 for age and gender as confounders in the results exhibited that the variations in these confounders were responsible for vision impairment prevalence. Conclusion: The findings from this study have positive implications for social change among Asian-American communities. This can serve as a basis for exploring the relationships between vision impairment and other social or environmental factors which have not yet been assessed.

An attempt has been made to chart the changes and development seen in the careers of a cohort of m/s over a period of three years. In earlier chapters it was shown that m/s were highly motivated and felt themselves to be deeply committed to the degree course. This continued to be an important factor that ensured that all but one m/s finished the course. The almost universal lack of confidence observed in this cohort at the beginning of the course may have been caused by the perception that m/s were going to be taking a role usually associated with much younger people and one which might appear to be inappropriate for an adult. Moreover,this new role would have to be learned and there seemed to be no guide lines to help. Most of these m/s had never met somebody of their own age embarking on such an undertaking; they had no &quot;role-model&quot; to follow. The question of role identity had not been forseen as a problem by those m/s starting a first degree course designed primarily for s/l, although many were apprehensive about their situation as adults in an activity which was largely associated with late adolescence - a period which they had already gone through. In order to cope with this problem the majority of m/s found it was necessary to keep the two roles they were playing separate - their m/s role at CCAT and the &quot;adult&quot; role in the home or away from CCAT. This separation was more marked in those who had family responsiblities who made up the majority in this cohort. The single students of both sexes were among the younger m/s and identified more easily with the s/l and the role of student. A certain embarrassment felt by some m/s at an apparent incongruity of being a middle-aged student was emphasised by the reactions of family and friends. Male students were made aware by outside social pressures that a drop in income was a considerable burden to bear. The worry of being able to keep up mortgage repayments, for example, was an ever-present strain. The hope of enhanced career opportunities at the end of the course helped to sustain them. The categorisation of respondents into those who were critical of the course, those who were enthusiastic about it and those who adapted to the demands made upon them, was developed. These groupings remained almost unchanged throughout the three years but the varying attitudes used did not seem to make any difference in how the m/s coped with the problems that they found. The critics hoped that some of their ideas for improving the course, which would help s/l too, might be put into practice. It was their initiative that led to some lecturers providing a &quot;hand-out&quot; to those who attend a lecture so that note-taking at the time is unnecessary. The enthusiasts kept up the level of their enthusiasm and the majority of theme hope to go onto further studies e.g. post-graduate teacher training or a higher degree. The adapters, who tended to be among those who were less conforming to the demands of tutors, found that the added confidence gained from the course enabled them to continue to study in the way that suited them best personally, and reinforced their own self-reliance in their ability to cope with the course. All m/s found it necessary to be well organised to be able to cope with the dual role of student and life outside the college, but felt that the effort was worth while for the benefits they received from the course. The great majority would advise prospective students to be aware of the time needed to get the most advantages and enjoyment out of the time spent as students at CCAT, but to go ahead if the opportunity presented itself. Those who had the support and encouragement of their families acknowledged the difference this made. Some said that it would have been impossible for them to have managed without it. The founding of the Mature Student Club could be seen as an effort on the part of m/s to reinforce the perception of themselves as separate and different from s/l. The mutual support and sharing of similar problems found within this organisation helped them to find an acceptable role within the student body. Staff also welcomed the presence of m/s for their evident commitment and high motivation. It was acknowledged that m/s helped to maintain a higher academic standard within the degree course because of their presence. The fears expressed by the Careers Officer at CCAT about the problems caused by lack of mobility for women when looking for work after the course had finished was not in evidence within the cohort itself. All eventually expected to build on the experience gained by being a degree student, although most were realistic in acknowledging that it might take longer than if they were geographically more mobile. The advantages of having survived a hard three years of work were thought to far outweigh the disadvantages of a diminished income and a complete absence of any spare time. The longitudinal approach of this research enabled a number of changes to be observed. Gradually, as they successfully negotiated the academic requirements of the course - the first year examinations, continuous assessment and essay assignments - confidence built up. By the time of the final examinations mature students felt that they knew what was expected of them and were able to rise to the necessary academic standard. The fact that only one student &quot;dropped out&quot; appeared to speak well for the admission procedures adopted by the staff at CCAT when dealing with mature students, i.e. they had chosen those that they perceived could &quot;cope&quot; with the academic and social demands of the course. Alternatively, it may suggest that most mature students successfully adapted to what, at first, may have been perceived as a personally challenging experience but which became, especially in the first year, a threatening, institutional environment. Familiarity with the institution and their fellow students helped to remove some of the apprehension that was initially felt and criticism of school leavers fell away. The majority reported an awareness of the benefits arising from the mix of ages and backgrounds found on the course and felt that they had a useful contribution to make.

This study examines the social worlds of mature students. Data was collected through participant observation in campus settings and in-depth interviews with mature students. The focus is on their experiences as they navigated the passage to student status. A variety of constraints to the progress of the passage are documented, as well as mature students' negotiation strategies used to overcome these constraints. Attention is then paid to how mature students adjust to the new realities that university life poses. Dealing with university administration, learning new skills, and renegotiation processes are analysed. The status passage to mature student is viewed as problematic for the individual, as a new set of meanings must be negotiated with significant others for the passage to be successful. This study suggests that the case of mature students offers explanation into the nature of status passage in later life, and contributes new knowledge to the nature of generic social processes. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Streptococcus thermophilus est une bactérie lactique utilisée dans l’industrie laitière pour la fabrication de yaourts et de divers fromages. S. thermophilus se développe en chaîne de cellules. Le mécanisme de la séparation des cellules n’est pas connu chez S. thermophilus. Un mutant de S. thermophilus présentant des chaînes de cellules extrêmement longues a été caractérisé. Le gène identifié est nommé cse pour cell separation. La particularité de cse est qu’il résulte d’un réassortiment de modules. En effet, l’analyse a montré que son extrémité 5’ est homologue à celle de sip de S. salivarius, tandis que son extrémité 3’ est homologue à celle de pcsB de S. thermophilus. Le gène cse spécifique de S. thermophilus code une protéine modulaire. A son extrémité N-terminale, Cse possède un peptide signal et un domaine de liaison à la paroi, LysM. Et à son extrémité C-terminale, Cse possède un domaine CHAP, présent dans les hydrolases du peptidoglycane. Dans cette étude, la localisation de Cse à la surface des cellules de S. thermophilus a été réalisée par microscopie électronique à transmission et immunofluorescence à l’aide d’anticorps dirigés contre cette protéine. Cse est localisée spécifiquement aux septa matures de S. thermophilus. De plus, l’activité de Cse a été démontré par zymogramme et présente une activité lytique qui est conférée par son domaine CHAP. L’analyse par RP-HPLC des muropeptides de la paroi de S. thermophilus après digestion avec le domaine CHAP a révélé que Cse est une hydrolase du peptidoglycane et plus précisément une endopeptidase. L’ensemble de ces résultats montre que Cse est l’enzyme majeure de la séparation cellulaire de S. thermophilus. / Streptococcus thermophilus is a lactic bacteria used a stater of fermentation in dairy factories for the production of yogurt and many cheeses. S. thermophilus grows as chains of ovoid cells. However, the genetic basis of S. thermophilus cell separation is still unknown. A S. thermophilus mutant displaying extremely long chains of cells was characterized and demonstrated to be impaired a gene that we named cse for cell separation. The originality of this gene is that cse creation resulted from domain shuffling. Indeed, the analysis has revealed that its 5’extremity has homology with that of sip from S. salivarius, while its 3’extremity shares homology with pcsB from S. thermophilus.The cse gene specific from S. thermophilus, encodes a modular protein. The N-terminal end of Cse contains a secretion signal and cell-wall binding LysM domain. Its C-terminal end includes a CHAP domain found in bacterial cell-wall hydrolases. In this study, the localization of Cse on S. thermophilus cell surface has been undertaken by immunogold electron and immunofluorescence microscopies using of antibodies raised against this protein. Immunolocalization shows that the presence of the Cse protein at mature septa. Moreover, the CHAP domain of Cse exhibits a lytic activity on the cell wall of S. thermophilus that has been demonstrated by zymogram. Additionally, RP-HPLC analysis of muropeptides released from S. thermophilus after digestion with the CHAP domain shows that Cse is a cell wall hydrolase that can function as an endopeptidase. Alltogether, these results suggest that Cse is a major cell wall hydrolase involved in daughter cell separation of S. thermophilus.

The explosion of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) use over the last 10 years within healthcare, and particularly within nursing practice, is changing the ways in which patient care is delivered. However a concern highlighted by various policy review and research evidence is that barriers to ICT usage are experienced by some groups of student nurses, particularly those who are mature and female, in a way that constrains potential impact on their professional development. This research adds to and develops the research evidence in the field by examining in what ways, and the extent to which, a group of mature, female, nursing students utilise ICT within the boundaries of one pre-registration nursing programme based on partnership working between a School of Health situated within a large university and its related NHS Trusts. By way of a qualitative, case study approach this study examines the biographical, university and clinical placement use of ICT for this group of student nurses. Consideration is given to the interconnectedness of these experiences as these students begin to develop their professional identities and learning as nurses. The experiences of this group of students are determined through interviews and observation of clinical practice. Three research questions define the parameters of the research. These are: 1) How are mature, female nursing students accessing and using ICT within nursing education? 2) What are the barriers that may prevent mature, female students from accessing and using ICT within nursing education? 3) What actions do mature, female nursing students consider may be taken to improve their knowledge and subsequent use of ICT in both their academic studies and clinical placement work? Findings from the research suggest that experiences of ICT relate to biographical history and the extent to which student nurses are supported and encouraged to engage with ICT in their university programme and on clinical placement. In particular the data suggests that for many student nurses the feeling and experiences of being generationally, emotionally and hierarchically 'locked out' of using ICT raises real challenges for the extent to which government and regulatory policy is being effectively enacted for particular groups of student nurses. This study, therefore, contributes to knowledge in and around pedagogical practice for pre-registration nurse education programmes. In particular it raises the importance of locating policy development in this area around the explicit privileging and enabling of ICT usage in all practice situations. In other words the development of a collective efficacy in nurse pre-registration programmes that is suggestive of notions of being ICT 'logged in' rather than being 'locked out' for mature, female student nurses.

Orientador: Lucia Galvão de Albuquerque / Coorientador: Maria Eugênia Zerlotti Mercadante / Banca: Paulo Roberto Nogara Rorato / Banca Lenira El Faro Zadra / Banca: Henrique Nunes de Oliveira / Banca: Fernando Sebastián Baldi Rey / Resumo: O presente estudo foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de estudar a variação genética de pesos obtidos do nascimento à idade adulta, utilizando modelos multi-características (MC) e de regressão aleatória (MRA), visando obter modelos adequados e parcimoniosos para a estimação de componentes de (co)variância e predição de valores genéticos de animais da raça Nelore, os quais possam ser utilizados em programas de melhoramento genético. As medidas de peso utilizadas são provenientes de oito fazendas participantes do Programa de Melhoramento Genético da Raça Nelore (PMGRN). As análises MC foram realizadas considerando nove pesos: peso ao nascer, desmama, ano, sobreano e aos 2, 3, 4, 5 e 6 anos de idade. Foram estudados os seguintes modelos: multi-características padrão, cinco modelos de posto reduzido ajustando os primeiros 1, 2, 3, 4 e 5 componentes principais genéticos e cinco modelos utilizando análise de fatores com 1, 2, 3, 4 e 5 fatores. Em todos os modelos foram considerados os efeitos aleatórios genético aditivo direto e residual. Para o peso ao nascer e à desmama também foram incluídos, como aleatórios, os efeitos genético materno e ambiente permanente materno. Foram considerados os efeitos fixos de grupo de contemporâneos e efeitos linear e quadrático da idade do animal à pesagem (exceto para o peso ao nascer) e idade da mãe ao parto. As matrizes de (co)variâncias genética materna, de ambiente permanente materno e residual foram assumidas terem posto completo. Os resultados indicam que apenas três componentes principais são requeridos para modelar a estrutura das (co)variâncias genéticas entre pesos do nascimento à idade adulta, reduzindo assim o número de parâmetros nas análises. Nas análises utilizando MRA foram utilizados pesos de fêmeas do nascimento... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The genetic variation of weights obtained from birth to adult ages were studied using multi-trait (MT) and random regression (RRM) models in order to obtain adequate and parsimonious models for the estimation of (co)variance components and prediction of genetic values of Nellore cattle, which can be used in breeding programs. The weights traits were obtained from eight herds participating in the Nelore Cattle Breeding Program (NCBP). In the MT analyses were included weight records taken at nine standard ages (at birth, weaning, 365 and 550 days of age and 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 years of age). A standard multivariate analysis, reduced rank analyses fitting the first 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 genetic principal components, and analyses that fitted a factor analytic structure considering 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 factors, were carried out. All models included genetic additive direct and residual as random effect. For birth and weaning weight also was considered genetic maternal and maternal permanent environmental effects as random. Contemporary groups, age at weighing (except for birth weight) and dam age at calving was included as fixed effect. The genetic maternal, maternal permanent environmental and residual covariance matrices were assumed to have full rank throughout. The results indicate that only three principal components are required to model the genetic covariance structure among weight from birth to mature, decreasing the number of parameter in the analyses. For RRM were used female weights from birth to mature. The models included direct additive and maternal genetic effects and animal and maternal permanent environmental effects as random. Contemporary group and dam age at calving within the age class of the animal (linear and quadratic effect) were included as fixed effects, and orthogonal Legendre... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Doctor of Social Work / This doctoral thesis presents the findings of a qualitative research project which examines the impact of university study on a group of twenty female and male mature-age students at the University of Newcastle, Australia, who have entered university via a non-traditional pathway. The students who are the subject of this thesis are in the second to final years of their undergraduate degree programs and have all faced significant hurdles in gaining university entrance and persevering with their studies. The majority have come from lower socio-economic backgrounds with little, if any, family history of higher education and little positive experience of prior study. Postmodern feminist theory has primarily informed this research, using a narrative method to gather the data, analyse the results and present the findings. This thesis describes the experiences of the twenty individuals, derived from their individual narratives. As such, it gives voice to their stories: their triumphs and achievements as well as their struggles. It examines the gender issues that are at work in the shaping of their experiences, including the ways in which gender affected the type and extent of help and support on which they could rely. It highlights the transformative nature of these experiences for each of the students in this cohort, as well as potentially the next generation, and makes some tentative connections between these individual experiences and the experiences of the wider mature-age university student population. The narratives that individuals tell are socially and culturally located. Hence it is likely that the experiences of these twenty students may reflect, at least to some extent, the experiences of other mature-age students within a similar culture. The findings of this research also highlight the important role that higher education institutions can play, not only in widening access to higher education, but also in encouraging and assisting students, from a diverse range of backgrounds, to participate fully in higher education and achieve their goals.

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